Laura Murray

Out of the Park Laura Murray

Olivia Lewis is a casualty of journalism budget cuts. The industry is dying anyway. Or so they told her. When they fired her. She's having a difficult time coming to terms with that though, particularly when she's on her way back home. The same home she's avoided for the last eight years. She'd avoided Rocky Cove, Maine like several different plagues. (It's not because of Nicky. Nick. Nick Hopkins. Of course not. Definitely not because of Nicky.) But then her twin brother informs her he's got a job for her. At the ancient, vaguely historic amusement park they used to go to when they were kids. Her brother bought an amusement park. And Olivia can't come up with an excuse to say no. (Except maybe because she'll have to see Nicky again. Nick, God.) So Olivia is back and really good at walking on the merry-go-round while it's moving and maybe she missed Rocky Cove a hell of a lot more than she ever realized. Nick Hopkins is a former baseball star who only ever imagined a future with two things in it: pitching and Olivia Marie Lewis. (No, he can't call her that. That's a nickname with far too much meaning and it's fine, really.) But then the plan goes up in smoke or flames or medical miracles that are the opposite of that and he knew something was wrong as soon as he heard his elbow pop. And, suddenly, there's no baseball and no Olivia and eight years later he's just trying to keep things on track. He's doing an alright job (he hopes, thinks, desperately needs to believe) and his bar is his and baseball is a forgotten memory. So is Olivia. Those are lies. Especially when Luke decides to buy an amusement park and Olivia is coming back to Rocky Cove and things left unsaid sound even louder than cracking a homer over left center. Eight years is a long time, but suddenly Nick and Olivia find themselves together - battling for amusement park success and, maybe, each other and there's something to be said about finding yourself all over again.